Top Mistakes to Avoid When Selecting Conveyor Rollers

Conveyor rollers are the mute labourers of bulk-handling plants. Rollers are used in the mining operation, cement factories and other heavy industry to ensure that belts are moving smoothly, transport tonnes of material on a daily basis, and avoid the destruction of fine machinery.

It may be costly to accomplish the selection of the incorrect rollers. The cause of premature wear, belt mistracking, breakdowns, even safety hazards can be traced back to poor selection of rollers. Avoiding some of these typical pitfalls will increase uptime, increase belt life, and reduce the cost of maintenance.

Purchasing low-cost, despite the Quality.

A low-cost roller might be tempting to look at initially; however, low quality materials and poor construction reduces the service period. Belts can be ruined by rollers that break down prematurely or the production can be stopped.

Buy rollers that have robust steel tubes, accurate bearings and are well sealed. A moderately increased purchase price typically justifies itself in shorter out-of-service time and increased life of the belt.

Ignoring Load-Capacity Calculations.

Any conveyor is limited. Unless rollers are specified to handle the weight of material and belt tension, they will bend or become seized.

Never forget to look at the load data of the manufacturer. Divide maximum load by a roller, depending on the size of the belt, density of the material, and separation. The proper sizing eliminates the possibilities of overloading the belt and ensures it is in line.

Overlooking the Operating Environment.

Roller performance is challenged by dust, moisture and temperature extremes. When mining or in a crusher plant, abrasive fines may get into bearings when seals are not strong. In cement plants, the high heat has the potential to break down lubricants.

Select rollers which are sealed according to your environment. In wet or corrosive environments, find wet or polymer coating. Beauty. In hot areas, high temperature grease and high temperature rated components are to be used.

Selecting the wrong Roller Material.

Rollers may be made of steel, plastic, stainless steel or combination. The wrong material may be picked, and it may make the wear or corrosion.

• Steel: This is heavy, hard, and economical and suits most uses in the dry environment, which are heavy.
• Plastic/HDPE: Light, not corrosive and does not harm belts- suitable in moist or chemical environment.
• Stainless steel: Good in food, fertilizer or harsh chemicals.

Match material to your requirements in product, environment and load.

Ignorance of Bearing Quality and Sealing.

Bears are load bearing and can rotate easily. Poor seals or cheap bearings easily develop failures.

Choose rollers with bearings that are precision machined and double labyrinth seals. They seal off dust, greasy areas and perform in extreme locations such as crushers or quarries.

These do not match Roller Type and Belt Speed and Application.

Roller design should accommodate duty, size and speed of belt. Hopper impact zones require rubber ring impact rollers. Balanced rollers are necessary in high speed belts in order to prevent vibration.

Learn your application loading, return, incline zones, and determine what roller type to use at what position.

Losing Maintenance Access and Replacement Ease.

An expertly scribed roller will not assist when it cannot be accessed to be checked or changed. Downtime increases in periods when technicians are required to dismount huge portions of the conveyor.

Test rollers into your building. Application Use drop-in or simple-fit models in cases where changes can be required frequently. Space your plan so that you can easily take away rollers without having to take the entire frame apart.

Best Practices of Smart Conveyor Roller selection.

To find the correct roller, you have to look further than price:

• Check key specifications: Tube diameter, wall thickness, bearing, balance and seal design.
• Adjust rollers to match belt speed and load to track.
• Evaluate the supplier carefully: It helps to cooperate with the company that provides the stable quality, technical assistance, and after sales services.

An example of this is Hindustan Engg Works that provides rugged conveyor rollers to crushers and mining belts and cement plants. They also offer tailor made diameters, fast delivery service, and on site guidance- which is crucial in twenty-four-hour running plants.

Tip: Read our impact Rollers guide.
to learn about the ways they secure belts in loading areas.

Conclusion

Rollers might seem to be basic but they determine how effectively your conveyor is going to run. When your belts are carefully selected, it ensures that there are fewer breakdowns and the production process will continue.

Develop a relationship with reputable manufacturers such as Hindustan Engg Works to obtain rollers that are compatible with your material, load and environment. The correct decision today will save hours of unproductive time tomorrow.

FAQs About Conveyor Rollers

1. How do I calculate roller load capacity?
Take the total load of the conveyor including the belt and material and divide it by the number of rollers that support a section. Check the safe load rating of the roller by looking up manufacturer tables.

2. What is the optimum roller spacing of crushers?
The distance between belts depends on the width of the belts, their thickness and the size of the material. In the case of heavy rock, rollers tend to be positioned at a closer distance, ranging between 300 and 400 mm in order to reduce the belt sag.

3. What should be the type of roller to use in the presence of a feed hopper?
The falling material is absorbed by impact rollers fitted with rubber discs, and this prevents the damage of the belts and frameworks.

4. Can plastic rollers be powerful enough to work mining belts?
Medium loads can be tackled using quality HDPE rollers and they are resistant to corrosion, however heavy ore would be safer using steel or stainless rollers.

5. What can I do to avoid being a bearer of failure in dusty plants?
Use pick rollers with multi-lip or labyrinth seals, and recommend high quality grease. Periodically examine seals or contamination.

6. Is it possible to use one conveyor with a mixture of roller materials?
Yes, when the responsibility of each part is obvious. As an example, loading, steel on carrying, and HDPE on returns could be cut with impact rollers.

7. What is the frequency of conveyor roller inspection?
In severe industries at least once a month. Check noises, wobble, and frozen bearings and change broken parts as soon as possible.